I walked side by side with Ben, the others following behind. There was the sound of clanking and the scraping of metal on floor boards as the cage doors opened and shut. We moved away from those sounds, following Ben further into the long building, winding through hallways and down two flights of stairs. We passed what looked like an old canteen; Formica tables and plastic chairs covered in trays and plates, abandoned by whoever used the building before the cult. Students, I guessed. There were some upturned tables and as we moved closer I saw bullet holes in the wood, and even some blood. Then we came across a huge pile of the kind of placards I had seen in pictured of the Resistance, with slogans like:
No to the GEM, Love creates humans not cells, Play God and suffer His wrath.
As I looked deeper I saw slogans for cloning too:
Cure Cancer with the GEM, Ignorance = Death, There is no God, only science.
“What happened here?” I said out loud.
“Och, lass. So much happened here,” Mary replied. “Protests on both sides. Things turning nasty. Fighting an’ killing.” She sighed.
Ben took us away from the canteen and the placards. I was glad. Instead, we opened up a double swing door and entered a vast gymnasium, something I had never seen apart from on the screens, in reality television shows where the GEMs had to lose weight to get to London. Even those had been these small rooms with a few weird cycle machines and treadmills, this was something else, almost unbelievable. I had to crane my neck to look all the way up to the ceiling, and from the ceiling dangled all kinds of ropes. There were rope ladders, ropes hanging straight down to the ground, ropes attached to two long poles with a net underneath, and ropes with little circles on the end. And all over these ropes, in poses that I had no idea the human body could even achieve, were even more bare chested boys. There were boys walking across ropes stretched between poles. They had their arms through the small circles, spinning and holding themselves up with the strength of their arms alone. Others simply climbed up and down at incredible speeds before jumping and landing on the springy floor boards. When I pulled my gaze from the acrobats in the air, I noticed a large mat in the corner of the room where more boys flipped their bodies over and over, making me dizzy. I’d never seen anything like this before.
I was so engrossed I didn’t see the middle-aged man wearing a tight silver body suit striding towards me. Ali moved to my left, and I noticed the rest of the Scavengers gather close.
“What’s going on here? Who are these people?” said the man I presumed to be Moon.
Ben’s mouth flapped open and shut. I decided to take charge. It seemed to have worked out okay so far.
“I killed Sun,” I said. The words had an after-taste in my mouth.
Ali looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I hoped I hadn’t just made things ten times worse.
The man sneered. He had grey hair but the body of someone much younger than his face suggested. He was tall and strong with muscular arms and a broad back. He stood very upright and the majority of his movements came from his jutting chin. “Don’t be so ridiculous. I’ve trained these men. They would never let you close enough to Sun to kill him.”
I shrugged. “He’s dead. I killed him.”
Moon bristled. He looked me up and down. “A pathetic female like you? I don’t think so, darling.” He clicked his fingers and the acrobats stopped their training and jumped from their ropes, finished their backflips or hopped down from the ladders, landing with soft thuds and bended knees.
“It’s true, Moon,” Ben answered. “She leads us now.”
Moon’s nostril’s flared. He hit himself on the chest. The sudden movement made me jump. “I am second in command. I am your leader if anyone. Not a
girl
.”
“You don’t like women very much here. Do you?” I said through gritted teeth. “I’ve seen your cages.”
“They are weak,” he said, his back stiffening. “Their bodies are weak. They can’t control their emotions––”
“I’ll give ye weak,” Ginge said, stepping forward to square up with Moon. “I could take ye. Ye stupid old basterd.”
Mary pulled her back. “Leave it.”
The acrobats approached. Moon twitched his fingers and they gathered around him, moving like quiet cats on the floorboards.
“But, Mina told me to release them,” Ben said.
Moon’s eyes widened. “What?”
“We’re releasing all the cages.”
“That is enough of this nonsense. Arrest these people.”
The acrobats surged but I was ready for them, my gift already on the cusp. As they came for us I batted them away with my mind, tossing them like rag dolls. Moon turned on his heels, watching as his trained monkeys were swatted away by nothing.
“What the hell is going on? Wha… Who… What the
hell is going on?
” I lifted him from the ground, going higher and higher until he almost touched the ceiling and then I let him dangle there. The acrobats stopped their attack to stand and stare at the man suspended in the air.
“This is what weak women can do,” I shouted up to him.
Ginge laughed. “How de ye like it now, eh?”
“All right ladies, let’s not get all women’s lib, we’ve got a job to do,” Ali said.
“What the hell is women’s lib?” I asked.
“Long story,” Mary said. “As much as I hate te agree wi’ Ali we do have te get out o’ here and we do have te get the bairns an’ elderly te the Compound. Put the basterd down an’ we’ll tie him up.”
“What are we going to do with him?” I asked.
Mary grinned. “We’re takin’ the bampot te Terrifica, that’s what.”
Ali laughed. “Make the punishment fit the crime, eh?”
“Just what the bawbag needs,” Stevie added and Reg smiled.
Ginge’s grin travelled from ear to ear.
“Who’s Terrifica?” I asked.
*
Ali handed maps to Ben and gave him instructions on how to get the sick, old and very young to the Compound. They had plenty of vehicles and petrol to make several trips to the Compound. I just hoped that they would be welcomed and accepted. We were supposed to be sending fighters back, not more people to protect, but we couldn’t leave those people, not like that.
I hugged Ben before we left. It was out of character, but I felt as though he needed to understand how humans really interact with each other. He was in charge, despite being little older than fifteen, and I hoped that the others respected and listened to him. He seemed like a nice boy; if naive and confused. When we left he still thought of me as the leader. Ali laughed at the way they all bowed to me. At least I had him to stop my ego getting out of control.
Soon we were back on the road, and Reg took over the driving, swearing that he was never letting me behind the wheel again. I didn’t blame him. I never wanted to drive again either. I lay down on the mattress and stared up at the ceiling of the van. Ali pinged his empty shell, Ginge chewed on her gum, Mary snored against the side of the van, and Stevie fiddled with the radio station. In the centre of the van, trussed up like a pig, was Moon, still in his silver gymnastic body stocking. He blubbed like a baby onto the mattress, mumbling about wicked witches and evil women. When he began to annoy me I thought about kicking him in the ribs, but thought better of it. Was I that person? Was I that tough, cruel or sadistic? I closed my eyes and wondered what Daniel was doing right now? The third day on the road was coming to a close. In a few hours the sun would be down and he would go to sleep in his tent not knowing if I was okay. Did he hate me? When I left the Compound I knew what I was doing to him. I knew how he would feel, because I felt it too – the way that connector stretches when we’re apart. But for me it was worth the pain. I needed time on my own. I needed to feel like me again, to figure myself out.
“We’re close.” Reg pulled me out of my thoughts.
Ali turned around. “Approach wi’ caution, Reg. They know the van, but ye can never tell what mood they’re in.”
I sat up from the mattress and turned around, kneeling up so I could see over the front seats and through the windscreen. We were away from the city now. The van bounced along a single track in a sparse field. The ground was made up of compacted mud, and most of the grass had been worn down from tracks, some tyre tracks and others hoof tracks. Up ahead I saw a number of outbuildings connected to a large, old farm. In the acres of land surrounding the farm yurts and huts were constructed out of timber and what looked like tarpaulin or leather – I couldn’t tell from a distance. There was no boundary, which surprised me, but there was something much, much more frightening. On either side of the single mud track there was a fence with posts and steel wire, the kind farmers use to keep animals off the road. I’d seen a lot of it whilst in the Scavenger van. On top of each post there was a skull. I focussed on one of the skulls as we passed, staring into its hollow eyes. I knew exactly what species it was from being forced to study biology in our Sex-Ed classes at school. They were human.
Reg parked the van close to the farm. There was no sight of any people. It was like a ghost town. We exited via the back door. Ginge and Mary kept hold of their rifles. Ali hopped down from the van and stood with his hand on his hip, jutting out a pointed boot. He whistled.
“Drop the weapons.”
The voice came from behind us. When I turned there was a woman in tight camouflage gear with a large automatic gun in her hands. Belts of ammo crossed her chest. Her face was painted green and black and her hair covered with a cap. She stood on top of the van and I had no idea where she had come from.
Ali gestured at Mary and Ginge. They dropped the rifles. The woman jumped down from the van and collected the guns whilst more camouflaged women appeared from trees, and jumped out from behind barns and bushes. They were all tall and muscular, with tight clothing revealing their womanly curves. They walked with swagger in their hips and chins held high. They reminded me of the GEM girls at St Jude’s, puffed up by arrogance. But there was a business-like quality about them.
“I’d better get me rifle back,” Ginge said to the woman with the automatic gun.
The woman didn’t answer the question. Instead, she turned to walk away. “I’ll take you to Terrifica.”
It wasn’t the warmest of welcomes, but at least we didn’t have to fight acrobats and cult leaders this time. I moved to follow her but Ali stopped me.
“Wait. We have a prisoner for Terrifica,” he said.
The woman turned back. “What kind?”
“Male.”
“Bring him.”
Ali pulled Moon out of the van and untied his feet so that he could walk. He shoved him forward and Moon whimpered. “Where am I?”
“Perth,” Ali answered.
“Oh no. No, please no. Not them.”
The woman laughed. “What the hell is he wearing?”
“He’s a gymnast,” Ali said.
“Come on. Let’s go see Terrifica,” she said.
We followed like captors, with guns trained on us. I didn’t like it one bit, but I supposed that they had a right to be suspicious of visitors. I knew nothing about this Clan except that the women ruled.
The farm had a cobbled courtyard which we entered by a five bar steel gate. It scraped along the stone. The courtyard was flanked by barns and a large farm house, but it was a vast space, and more than that – it was full of people. The Perthans had created a market on the cobbles and it bustled with people. Lots of young men gestured wildly as we passed, trying to entice us to buy their market wares. Some shoved bags of spice into our faces, waving them under our noses, shouting about prices and quality goods. Ali pushed Moon forward. The man dragged his feet and whimpered like a child. At the far end of the courtyard I could just make out some sort of stage, or raised platform. As we approached I saw that it was sheltered with a tarpaulin roof. There were carpeted steps leading to the platform, and on those steps knelt a man.
“Please. Please show mercy. It was food te feed ma family.”
On either side of the kneeling man were more female guards with guns. One of them poked him with their gun as he rolled onto his side.
“You know the laws here,” said a voice, smooth and deep, like how I imagined melted chocolate would sound if it ever decided to talk.
My attention was drawn up to the voice. The speaker sat on a throne-like chair on the platform. She was without doubt the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She had brown skin, which almost glistened, and a mane of curly black hair. She sat with a straight and elegant back, wearing a long red dress with thin straps. It plunged down her chest making it impossible for her to be wearing underwear. Her legs were crossed and peeked out from a long slit in the material of the dress. At her feet lay a large striped cat. It roared at the man – sending him scuttling down the stairs.
“Is… Is that a tiger?” I mumbled to Mary on my right.
“Yup. Terrifica likes te be dramatic.”
The woman pulled the cat’s chain. “Calm down, Cleopatra. Don’t let this silly man rile you.” She stroked the cat’s head. “Take him to the jail. I’ll deal with him later.”
“What’s going to happen to him?” I asked.
Terrifica met me with her large, intelligent brown eyes. She rose to her feet and walked down the steps, stepping over Cleopatra. She was barefoot. At the end of the carpet she stopped and looked at me.
“Who are you, child?”
“I’m not a child. I’m fifteen, nearly sixteen,” I said.
She smirked. “Answer my question.”
“I’m Mina. Now you answer my question. What are you going to do with him?”
Her eyes narrowed. “That’s none of your business and keep your mouth shut. You’re not in the Compound now, with your voting and false democracy.” She turned away from me towards Ali. To my surprise she smiled warmly at him and traced a finger down his cheek. “My dearest Ali.”
“Terrifica. Terrific te see ye.” He grinned.
She flicked his earlobe. “You have no respect.” Her attention drifted to Moon. “What’s this?”
“This is Moon,” Ali said. “Second in command to Sun of the infamous Glasgae cult.”
Terrifica’s eyebrow’s raised. “Really? How on Earth did you manage that?”
“Mina killed Sun. She freed the slaves.” Ali laughed. “They worship her now.”
“Not that I want them to,” I added. “I’m not a slave leader.”
Terrifica moved towards me and grabbed hold of my face with one hand. She stared into my eyes, almost boring into my soul. And then she said the strangest thing.
“
Thou shalt wax and he shall dwindle, thou shalt be the mighty one yet!
”
She grinned again. “Looks like we’ve found our warrior woman.”
My cheeks were released. “Touch me again and you won’t know what hit you.” I rubbed my face. It was sore.
Terrifica backed away. “I like her.” She slipped her feet into boots. “Come to my private quarters. You must be famished.” She clicked her fingers and a guard appeared at her side. “Take that man to an uncomfortable jail.”
I suppressed the urge to find out what they planned to do with these people in jail. There was a hard quality in Terrifica’s eyes that I didn’t like. There was part of her that reminded me of Murder-Troll. The guards dragged Moon away. He kicked, screamed and cried. In the end one of the women put a gun to his head and he quietened, letting her walk him away. I knew that I shouldn’t feel sorry for him. He hated women and he needed to be punished for the way he had treated other human beings. But I didn’t know if the system in Perth was fair. There was something about Terrifica that worried me. She had this air of superiority about her, as though she felt above everyone else. It reminded me of something my dad said about the GEM and how they ran the country. He said that society should not be run by a person who could not relate to its members. He went on to rant about how they were all these privileged scientists who had never been out in the real world and no wonder all they cared about were pretty people and the rich.
“Are you coming?” Terrifica asked.
I realised that everyone else had started walking whilst I’d been lost in my own thoughts. Embarrassed, I nodded and set off. Terrifica smiled at me and it was surprisingly warm.
*
The weirdest thing about the Perthans were the way they treated men. We sat around a low table, nestled in cushions, while men served us food and drink, dressed in little more than shorts and with black lines painted around their eyes. Terrifica eyed their bodies and touched them in ways that made me feel uncomfortable. She noticed me watching.
“You don’t approve,” she said to me.
“No. You treat men like they are inferior to you.”
“They are. They are emotionally inept. They are incapable of producing children. They are less beautiful.” She shrugged.
“They’re physically stronger,” Ali pointed out. “Why else would ye have so many guns?”
“They know their place.” Terrifica sighed. “The laws of the Perthans were established after the Fracture. Since then, the people who have
chosen
to live and work with us have, therefore,
chosen
to abide by those laws. That includes roles. In our community the men raise the children, cook, clean and work in menial jobs to allow the women to deal with the more complex issues at hand. They have accepted that after thousands of years of male rule that the world has
failed
.” Her eyes widened with anger. “After years and years of female oppression, wars and inequality, the men in our community accept that we do it better. We rule
better
.”
Ali frowned. “It all looks the same te me, Terrifica. Ye just as violent as the men. If not more.”
“You’re wrong, Ali.”
“I like it here,” Ginge said. She pulled off a chunk of bread. “I think ye’ve got the right idea. If it wasnae fer men an’ their ideas on women, the Fracture wouldnae happened in the first place.”
“Very true.” Terrifica agreed with an even smile.
“But ye cannae replace one tyranny with another,” Mary said. “Ye cannae lead a world that just inverts the problem. That’s nae solution.”
“What do you suggest?” Terrifica said.
“Ye need it te be equal.”
“That’s impossible. There has never been and never will be equality between women and men. We are too different. Like two separate species.”
“Don’t you think you’re generalising?” I interrupted the discussion. “You’re acting like all men act one way and all women act another. Everyone is different.”
“Not that different, love. Some of us dress it up in a different package but deep down we are made of the same stuff. Men want and need certain things and women want and need other things. Men are driven by sex. Women are driven by comfort, stability. In our society both needs are met with our unique system. You see, when a woman wants that comfort, or to procreate, they choose from our men to lie with. The men in turn have their need for sex quelled. There are more women than men here.”
“So you use men like sex slaves?” I looked at her, disgusted.
“I think you’ll find they don’t see it that way. The men love it here. We have a waiting list of men who want to join the Perthans.”
Ali laughed.
Terrifica stroked his face again. “We’d make beautiful babies, you and I.”
Ali’s eyes dropped. “Ye know I don’t swing that way, Terrifica.”
She pouted. “Such a waste.”
“We have more pressing things te talk about than blummin’ sex,” Mary interrupted. “Hamish McAllister is on the rampage. He’ll be coming fer you on the way te us. So I suggest that we join forces. Otherwise, ye little set up here, as twisted as it is, will be blown te bloody smithereens.”